IHC Merwede Launches SHANTI SAGAR XVI

The naming and launch ceremony for the 13,000kW stationary cutter suction dredger, SHANTI SAGAR XVI, took place on 6 December 2011 at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Sliedrecht, The Netherlands. IHC Merwede is building the ship for Mundra Port Special Economic Zone Ltd., which is part of the Adani Group.

The ceremony was performed by Dr. Sonali Mahadevia, the spouse of Dr. Malay Mahadevia, Director of Mundra Port Special Economic Zone Ltd. The contract for the design, construction and delivery of the vessel was signed in November 2010, and the keel was laid on 11 May 2011. The vessel will be delivered in the second quarter of 2012.

During the ceremony, IHC Merwede announced that it has made a donation to the Adani Foundation. This NGO looks after the Adani Group’s CSR-related activities, including the development of education, health and rural affairs.

The new cutter suction dredger is an IHC Beaver® 9029C, which is capable of dredging a wide range of materials. The vessel is equipped with three Cutter Special® dredge pumps, which are specially designed with a large sphere passage for cutter suction dredge operations. The anchor boom and spud-tilting installations allow the dredger to operate in remote areas with limited support equipment. The large fuel oil carrying capacity also allows for a high level of autonomy.

Dredging is critical to the development of Mundra Port and the work is managed by Mundra Port Special Economic Zone’s dredging fleet. This consists almost exclusively of cutter suction dredgers built by IHC Merwede and the SHANTI SAGAR XVI will be the largest vessel supplied to date.

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Offshore Nieuws Staff, December 7, 2011; Image: ihcmerwede